1. Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to orthodontic appliances and adhesive materials that are applied to a patient's teeth during the course of orthodontic treatment. More particularly, the present invention relates to packaged assemblies that include one or more orthodontic appliances and adhesive materials for use in moving the patient's teeth to desired positions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Orthodontic treatment involves movement of malpositioned teeth to orthodontically correct positions. Tiny orthodontic appliances known as brackets are connected to exterior surfaces of the patient's teeth, and an archwire is placed in a slot of each bracket. The archwire forms a track to guide movement of the teeth to desired positions for correct occlusion. End sections of the archwire are often received in appliances known as buccal tubes that are fixed to the patient's molar teeth.
In recent years it has become common practice to use adhesives to bond orthodontic appliances to the enamel surfaces of the teeth, using either a direct bonding method or an indirect bonding method. Often, the adhesive is applied to the base of the appliance by the practitioner immediately before the appliance is placed on the tooth. In some instances, a quantity of adhesive is dispensed onto a mixing pad or dispensing well, and a small spatula or other hand instrument is then used to apply a small dab of adhesive to each appliance. In other instances, a quantity of adhesive is dispensed from a syringe directly onto the base of the appliance.
Adhesive precoated brackets are known and offer significant advantages to the orthodontist. Adhesive precoated brackets have a bonding base upon which the manufacturer applies a precise quantity of adhesive, such as a photocurable adhesive. In direct bonding methods, when it is desired to mount an adhesive precoated bracket on a tooth, the bracket is simply removed from the package and placed directly onto the tooth. For indirect bonding methods, brackets are removed from the package and placed, for example, on a replica plaster or “stone” model of the patient's dental arch to provide a custom base for later mounting on the patient's tooth, commonly using a transfer tray or indirect bonding tray.
Adhesive precoated orthodontic appliances are often packaged in containers that protect the adhesive from light, moisture and contaminates. Known containers include containers that receive only a single appliance. The adhesive is coated by the manufacturer onto the base of the appliance and often rests on a release surface within the container. The release surface has properties that facilitate disengagement from the adhesive when the appliance is lifted from the container without unduly disturbing the overall shape of the adhesive.
However, in some instances a practitioner may prefer to use an amount of orthodontic adhesive that is different than the amount of adhesive applied to the base of the appliances by the manufacturer. For example, some practitioners prefer to bond appliances with a relatively small amount of adhesive so that less time is spent removing the adhesive “flash” that extrudes from the base of the appliance as the appliance is pressed onto the tooth surface. Other practitioners, by contrast, prefer to use a larger amount of adhesive when bonding appliances to help ensure that there are no gaps or voids between the base of the appliance and the patient's tooth enamel once the appliance is placed onto the surface of the tooth.
In addition, efforts have long been underway to develop new orthodontic adhesives with improved functional properties. Examples of such properties include sustained fluoride release, moisture tolerance and color-changing characteristics. Unfortunately, the use of some adhesives with conventional orthodontic packaging is not entirely satisfactory because the shelf life of the resultant assembly is relatively short. As can be appreciated, it would be a significant advantage to provide a packaging construction for precoated appliances that can be used with a number of different adhesive materials.